Imran Khan arrested from outside IHC in Al-Qadir Trust case

Imran Khan arrested from outside IHC in Al-Qadir Trust case
Islamabad: In a shocking turn of events, PTI chief Imran Khan, who was present at the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for two hearings on Tuesday afternoon, was arrested in the Al-Qadir Trust case. Islamabad police released a statement quoting Inspector General (IG) Akbar Nasir Khan as saying that Imran had been arrested in relation to the case which alleges that the PTI chief and his wife obtained billions of rupees from a real estate firm for legalising Rs50 billion.

Breaking NewsThe police chief also said that the situation in Islamabad was “normal”, adding that Section 144 had been imposed in the city and action would be taken against violators. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that Imran had failed to appear before the court despite being issued several notices. “The arrest has been conducted by the National Accountability Bureau for causing losses to the national treasury,” he said, adding that Imran was not tortured.

Imran’s arrest warrant, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, showed that it was issued on May 1. It said that Imran was accused of corruption and corrupt practice under Section 9(a) of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999.

PTI lawyer Faisal Chaudhry had initially confirmed news of Imran’s arrest to Dawn.com that had prompted IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq to direct the Islamabad police chief, the interior ministry secretary and the additional attorney general to appear before the court within 15 minutes.

The IHC CJ said that he was showing “restraint” and warned that he would “summon” the prime minister if the Islamabad police chief did not appear before the court. “Come to court and tell us why Imran has been arrested and in which case,” Justice Farooq said.

Barrister Gohar Khan, who was present at the IHC during the PTI chief’s arrest, alleged Imran was “tortured”. “They hit Imran’s head and leg,” he told Dawn.com, claiming that Rangers had arrested the ex-premier. Gohar further stated that the PTI chairman’s wheelchair was also tossed aside during the arrest.

A Reuters witness said shortly after Imran entered the gate of the IHC, contingents of paramilitary forces and armoured personnel carriers entered after him. The gate was blocked by the armoured vehicles while Khan was whisked away shortly after under heavy security, the witness added.

The development comes on the heels of the military’s rejection of accusations Imran made against DG-C Maj Gen Faisal Naseer. Imran had accused the officer of involvement in the assassination attempt against him in Wazirabad. Imran doubled down on the allegations in a video message today.

The former premier’s detention also follows several unsuccessful attempts, including a police raid at his residence in Lahore’s Zaman Park, to arrest him which he had managed to evade.